The impact of national culture on knowledge management processes in the context of an economic transition to a knowledge-based economy: the case of Qatar.

Ismael El Sayed, Ashraf Ali

Authors

Ashraf Ali Ismael El Sayed

Contributors

Simon Burnett
Supervisor

Abstract

In recent years, a global movement towards a knowledge-based economy through the provision of adequate and appropriate infrastructure and development programs for leveraging the potential of human capital has started. There has been tremendous cognitive development in the developed countries including the Arab countries, but in the developing countries, things are still slowly progressing towards a level of knowledge capture, creation, and dissemination that will allow them to rise to the level of developed countries. The central administration derived from the authoritative patriarchal structure of the Arab society significantly affects the motives of their qualified workforce in their quest to utilize their knowledge for the desired development towards a knowledge society. The research investigates the influence of national culture on the progress of knowledge economy four pillars ranked by World Bank Knowledge Economy index, education, information and communication technology infrastructure, innovation, and adequacy of supporting institutional framework. The research adopts Nonaka & Takeuchi's SECI knowledge management model to study the impact of national culture upon knowledge acquisition, transfer, creation, and dissemination as facilitated through Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) cyclical knowledge management model by People, Process, and Technology. Furthermore, the research introduces a conceptual framework and detailed analytical framework illustrating relationships and mapping governing principles to the research aim and objective. The research keeps a specific focus on the influence of Qatar's national culture on the knowledge management process prevalent in the country as the research aims to explore elements that may affect Qatar's transition towards a knowledge-based economy. The research surveys a sample of Qatari nationals community to profiles Qatar National culture, interviews a sample of Qatari professionals to investigate the impact of cultural dimensions on knowledge management process, and validate the concluded analysis by identifying Qatar's ranking in relevant Knowledge Economy global indexes. The research assert the possible influence of national culture on knowledge conversion processes as critical to the success of country's economic transition to knowledge economy.

Thesis Type

Thesis

Institution Citation

ISMAEL EL SAYED, A.A. 2018. The impact of national culture on knowledge management processes in the context of an economic transition to a knowledge-based economy: the case of Qatar. Robert Gordon University, PhD thesis.